So Mysterious
by Green Phantom Queen
Summary: Starting date: 8-17-12. Before Sin Cara teamed up with Rey Mysterio, he found himself face to face with a side of Mysterio that no one had ever seen before. This small act eventually leads him into the discovery of a strange and hidden war between good and evil, of hidden faces and dark masquerades, and whether or not he himself has a mask that no one ever sees. No slash.
1. Mask Maniac

**So Mysterious**

Author: Green Phantom Queen

Rated: T/M

Summary: Before Sin Cara prepares for his first tag-team match with Rey Mysterio, he finds himself encountering a side of Mysterio that no one ever sees. This then leads to him stuck in a strange power struggle with supernaturally powered wrestlers old and new, and where he sides in the end.

Note: Takes place during the 8-7-12 episode of WWE Smackdown! Italics will represent Sin Cara and others speaking Spanish.

**1****st**** Mystery:** Mask Maniac

"_We all wear masks, Spider-Man. But which one is real? The one that hides your face, or the one that is your face?"_

_-Green Goblin, Spectacular Spider-Man_

Sin Cara looked at himself in the mirror—or rather, he looked at the red and white mask covering his face. So many emotions swarmed through his head—the most important one being that the identity that once made for himself was now gone. The face that he wore in Mexico could no longer be worn.

This was for the best, he told himself. Being in the WWE meant better things for him. His fame would grow, and he could face off against new and interesting wrestlers. Plus, now that the WWE decided to team him up with fellow masked luchador Rey Mysterio, it meant that he would be able to learn the ups and downs when it came to fighting in the ring. That didn't mean he couldn't abstain for his high-flying acrobatics; it meant that he would learn how to fight on his own feet after being mentored by who was most likely _the_ most famous masked luchador in the world.

As Sin Cara picked up his cape hanging by the door, he heard something. He turned around, hoping that it was Rey Mysterio entering their locker room, but the smaller luchador wasn't there. He took a deep breath, looking back and forth at his surroundings: there was a long bench where two large duffel bags sat, a row of lockers against a wall, a pull-up bar and gym mats to the left of the bench, and a door which sealed the room off. Sin Cara slowly nodded his head. Nothing was out of order.

"_Over here,"_ a voice whispered. Sin Cara whipped his head at the mirror, only to find his own reflection staring back at him. _"Getting warmer..."_

Sin Cara narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of the strange, disembodied voice talking to him as he went to his duffel bag. He pulled out a large towel, silently praying that he could use it to choke whoever was taunting him. His heart pounded against his chest as that voice whispered, _"Warm...so warm..."_

Sin Cara approached the lockers. They were tall enough to hide someone, but the problem was that it was also too narrow. Not even Rey Mysterio could fit in them without a bit of a struggle. He opened the first locker, but found nothing. He opened the second, and he still found nothing. He repeated this process for the other four lockers, but it was all the same—empty. This was getting more unnerving by the second.

"_Come No Face...I'm right here..."_

Sin Cara looked back and forth, hearing that dark voice cackling at him in his native tongue. He held the towel in both of his hands, stepping back to the pull-up bar and gym mats. Step after step, the masked luchador frantically looked back and forth, waiting for someone to appear.

"Boo."

Sin Cara turned around then jumped back, staring eye to eye with a white face figure hanging upside-down from the pull-up bar. No, it wasn't just white faced. The figure wore a white wrestling mask with black markings around his eyes, and red wings at the corners of its lips to give off some creepy, demented smile magnified by the red facepaint on the person's lips. On top of its head were tufts of neon green hair that covered the right side of their head. They were entirely dressed in purple: there was a purple long-sleeved jacket covering his chest, a pair of dark purple gloves covering their hands, a pair of purple pants held up by neon green suspenders and belt with a special belt buckle consisting of a cross on a shield, and purple wrestling boots. Decorating the pants were the numbers '619' on the left leg, and 'REY' on the right, both that same neon green coloring. The strange being smiled, licking their lips as they stretched their arms.

"Hello," they said, swinging back and forth. "I don't think we've met, have we? Well, I guess it's as good as time as ever for some introductions, don't you think?"

Sin Cara stared in confusion at this being. It looked similar to Rey Mysterio, due to the type of mask and the 619 on their pants, but at the same time there was something so _wrong_ about them. It sent shivers down his spine staring at those dark eyes; it was like staring down a vicious dragon.

"Oh, I forgot," the figure chided himself. "You don't speak English. What a pity. Pity pity pity pity pitypitypity..." They cackled a bit before clearing their throat. _"How about now?"_

Sin Cara slowly nodded his head as he raised a finger at the being. _"You are...Rey Mysterio?"_ he asked.

"_A part of him, you can say," _the figure answered, blinking at the red and white masked man. _"Call me Joker Mysterio—it makes it easier to distinguish me from him, don't you think?"_

"_Then...Joker Mysterio, what are you doing? How did you get here?"_

"_Those questionss will be answered in time," _Joker Mysterio grinned as he lifted Sin Cara's mask up, exposing his mouth. He traced the other man's lips with a finger. _"There's no need to panic; people share secrets with one another all the time, do they not?"_

Just as Sin Cara was about to answer, Joker Mysterio crushed their lips together. The red masked luchador pushed the strange cloud luchador away, wiping his lips with the back of his hand before slipping the mask back on. Joker Mysterio laughed as he dropped down from the pull-up bar, landing on his feet before turning around. He tilted his head, smacking his lips as his mind began to spin with devious thoughts.

"_Come now, why do you have to take things so...seriously?" _Joker Mysterio questioned. _"Crack a smile, why don't you? Oh wait, you don't have a face...Well then..." _He laughed as he pulled out something from his sleeve. _"Maybe I'll make one for you."_

"_What are you?" _asked Sin Cara, watching as the strange joker pulled out a switch blade. The purple dressed Rey Mysterio ran his fingers through the blade, tilting his head back and forth. _"Are you a ghost? A demon? Just some figment of my mind?"_

"_No, maybe, and that's for you to decide," _Joker Mysterio answered, licking the blade. _"Now come on, I'll make sure this won't hurt at all. No, wait, I'm lying. This WILL hurt."_

Sin Cara raced to the door, but instead got smacked in the face when someone opened it. He fell to the ground, stars spinning around his head as he looked up at who accidentally opened the door at his face. It was Rey Mysterio, dressed in his black wrestling gear, particularly the sleevless top with a silver question mark topped with a matching silver crown. He shook his head and scrambled to his feet, grabbing onto his tag team partner's arm.

"_Please tell me I'm not hallucinating about-" _Sin Cara pointed to the spot where the Joker Mysterio should've been, but found that he vanished. _"W...where did he go?"_

"_Where did who go?" _Rey asked, looking at the spot where Sin Cara pointed to. _"I don't see anyone."_

"_There was this strange person. He looked just like you, except he wore purple."_

"_But I've been outside talking to Chris. I just came back because Curt Hawkins needed a spare towel since he forgot to bring one. Speaking of towels..." _

Sin Cara looked at the towel in his hand before quickly handing it to Rey. Rey nodded his head in thanks before leaving. He took one more glance at the locker room before closing the door shut, leaving Sin Cara alone again. Sin Cara stayed quiet for a few seconds, taking a few breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart. He approached the mirror and shook his head, looking down at his hands as he tried to make sense of what he saw. He was hallucinating; the joker was not real. It was all in his head...right?

"_Well, now that Mr. Killjoy is gone..." _

Sin Cara looked up, seeing the Joker Mysterio waving at him through the mirror. Sin Cara turned around, but found no one behind him. He looked back at the mirror, only to see a hand grabbing his neck. Sin Cara watched as Joker Mysterio emerged from the mirror, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

"_You should've seen the look on your face when you found out I wasn't standing behind you!" _Joker laughed. _"Oh, that was a Candid Camera moment. I should've had a camera on me...a ha ha ha ha!"_

"_W...why did Rey not see you?" _Sin Cara asked. _"And how did you appear in the mirror?"_

"_That's the thing about me. I can appear and disappear without will, so long as little Rey-Rey uses that little head of his to do what he pleases." _Joker twirled the knife in his hand as he continued. _"And he's been using this for a while, baby. So, where were we? Ah yes..."_

Joker stopped his knife twirling as he placed a hand over Sin Cara's neck once more. Then, he brought the knife down.

**0-0-0-0-0**

"Here you go," said Rey, handing Curt Hawkins his towel. "Good luck in your match tonight."

"Thanks," Curt replied glumly, wiping his face with the towel. "Man, things have been getting rough."

"I know what you mean," Rey folded his arms across his chest. "I just hope Sin Cara is doing well—after all, this will be the first time we've worked together as a tag team. Not to mention, you know my track record with those things."

Curt nodded his head. Throughout Rey's WWE career as a tag team champion—having won the championship about four times—the majority of his partners had this very bad tendency to backstab him or, in the case that they lose, decide to vent their frustrations out on him. Still, it was amazing how Rey Mysterio didn't crack under all this pressure, having been a Face for nearly a decade.

"Look at it this way," Curt noted. "You're teaming up with Sin Cara _Rojo_ instead of Sin Cara _Negro. _I highly doubt he'd want to backstab the biggest luchadors in the business."

"I know. Still, he seemed to be a bit agitated. He said that he saw someone dressed in my old Wrestlemania 25 outfit."

"Your Joker outfit? It looked sick, Rey. Too bad it couldn't be showcased for so long." Curt paused. "Speaking of which, what do you do with all of those special outfits when you aren't wearing them? I mean, from your Flash to that Captain America and even that Navi outfit...what happens to them after Wrestlemania is over?"

"I put them away back at my house," Rey answered. "Just because I wore them once, it doesn't automatically mean I'm going to toss them out. They all carry a bit of history inside me—a part of me that I just can't lose."

"I guess that makes sense. I still don't see the appeal to masks, though. No offense to your culture or anything, Rey. But also...wait a minute. Rey, weren't you wearing black when you entered the locker room?"

"Yeah."

"Then why is your mask turning white?"

Rey turned to the mirror, his eyes widening when he saw his black mask fade into a strange white color. He took a step back as he thought he saw his eyes flash purple for a minute.

"Oh no, not now!" he said, shaking his head. "Curt, I have to go. Something came up."

"Wait, that doesn't answer my-" Curt didn't finish his statement as Rey raced out of the room, closing the door behind him. "...question."

**0-0-0-0-0**

"Such a shame," Joker Mysterio sighed, shaking his head. "You didn't even last five minutes. Such a shame..."

Sin Cara groaned as Joker Mysterio slammed him into the lockers for the umpteenth time. No matter. He was done _toying_ with the little fool; all he needed was that special thing inside Sin Cara and that would be it.

Sin Cara looked up, seeing the knife poised at his neck. He tried to punch the purple Mysterio, but it felt like his energy was drained by the malicious Mysterio double's presence. He saw his arm fall to his side, his vision starting to get blurry...everything was getting dark.

"_Say goodnight," _Joker Mysterio whispered. _"Nighty ni-"_

Before he could finish, the door slammed open. Joker Mysterio turned around, only to meet a fist to meet his face, pushing him to the locker. Then, he felt someone punch him in the chest, siphoning his essence. He looked up, looking eye to eye with the real Rey Mysterio. Rey glared as he punched Joker Mysterio in the chest again, absorbing some strange purple energy into his hands. At the same time, Rey's white mask began to darken once more.

"You always take the fun out of everything, Rey-Rey," Joker Mysterio cackled. "You got sloppy—leaving me all alone with the new meat. Remember what happened to little Riley? Remember what happened when I made him SCREAM?!"

"Don't remind me," Rey answered, his voice dropping to a low hiss. "Now go. I don't need you interfering right now. Go bother those vampires if you have to."

"You can't make me vanish forever, Rey-Rey. I'll be back soon, and by then you better tell No Face everything. Or else."

"Or else?"

"I'll summon some of your other Masked Personas to come out. There are so many for me to choose, and many of them aren't exactly on the 'Face' side of the sliding scale of good and evil. The war is gonna start again—how will you face it when the time comes?" Joker Mysterio laughed maniacally, throwing his head back in twisted glee.

Rey's eye twitched from behind his mask as he punched Joker Mysterio once more, seeing the demented luchador fade away into smoke, leaving an orb of purple light in his hands. Rey sighed as he whispered some Spanish prayer and made the sign of the cross with one hand. Then, he placed the orb near his chest, taking a deep breath as the orb sank deep into his body. A faint purple aura outlined his body before he helped Sin Cara to his feet.

"_Are you all right?" _Rey asked.

"_Rey..." _Sin Cara began. _"I have only been here for one year, yet there are still things that I do not know. Who was that? And what did he mean by 'the war is going to start again'? What is going on?"_

"_Sin Cara," _Rey sighed. _"There's something that you need to keep secret. I usually don't tell this open to my tag-team partners, but seeing as you were assaulted by one of my more chaotic_ _faces, then I think it's time we have a bit of a history lesson. Did Joker hurt you in anyway?"_

"_Aside from wanting to cut me open to give me a 'new face', I'm peachy. Where did he even come from?"_

"_Sit down, Sin Cara. I'm about to tell you a story that relates to the masks that I wear now...and perhaps how you'll probably be dragged into this mess."_

Sin Cara slowly nodded his head as Rey cleared his throat.

"_It all started after the mess in WCW," _he began. _"Back when I was forcefully unmasked."_


	2. Maniac Mansion

**So Mysterious**

**2nd Mystery: Maniac Mansion**

"_There is no more reason to believe that man descended from some inferior animal than there is to believe that a stately mansion has descended from a small cottage."_

_-William Jennings Bryan_

Deep within the dark forest, a figure raised his lantern into the air. He tugged onto the hood covering his face and adjusted the cloak so it didn't tighten around his neck. He looked all around him, hearing nothing but his own breathing and perhaps the scampering of a squirrel through the grass. He hated coming out to the woods late at night, but it had to be done. There was no way to get to the mansion outside of a magic portal, and he was out of ingredients.

"Meow."

The stranger looked down, staring at the large cat licking its paws. The figure dropped to one knee, using his lantern to get a better look at the feline. The cat had dark gold fur with light gold stripes across its back, along with a pair of blue eyes. It also had a black collar with a tag in the shape of a black star. The figure smiled as he began to scratch behind the cat's ears.

"Are you being a little on edge tonight?" He asked. "Come on, I won't bite."

"Meow..." The cat replied, batting his paw at the hand. He then turned around and began to scamper off, its paws never making a sound whenever they touched the grass. The figure nodded his head as he began to chase him toward the darkness.

**0-0-0-0-0**

"_The disgrace of losing my mask was a shame to not only me, but to the committee," _Rey explained. _"So when I was given the true name of Rey Misterio, I was given something else. A birthright would be the best way to explain this. I didn't understand the true extent of my powers until my Wrestlemania debut at Wrestlemania XIX._

"_By that time, I was absorbed in the world of comic books. I decided to design my first costume for Wrestlemania as the hero known as Daredevil. It was given quite a round of applause from the audience, even though I lost the match in the end. After my match was over, I decided to change into my spare outfit. When I finished, I was already meeting up with Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore, pushing me to a corner and asking me question after question regarding how I 'pranked' them, so to speak. The prank somehow involved a set of trip wires and red paint pouring over them which I couldn't have done when our rooms were on opposite sides of the backstage area. After apologizing for my 'prank' and seeing Matt and Shannon leave, I then found myself staring face to face with Daredevil Mysterio."_

Sin Cara slowly nodded his head, as he watched Rey take a deep breath. After a few seconds, Rey exhaled and spoke once more.

"_At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought I was seeing a doppelganger telling me that I was going to die in the near future. Instead, Daredevil Mysterio said that when I was given the name of Rey Misterio, I was also blessed with the original Misterios' powers. I could create 'Faces'-different personas of myself based on the masks I wore. The power only worked on outfits that were based on comic book characters since I could infuse a personality into the outfit itself. I had no idea why I was given this power, or how it came to be and for a time, I was scared of it._

"_Then, around mid-2004, I met up with someone who would mentor me for a time. He was known as Gangrel, a vampire who trained Edge, Christian and both Hardy Brothers when they started wrestling in the WWF. He explained that he knew of my dilemma of creating 'Faces', and said that it was not a power to be ashamed of. He told me that I needed to look out for those who were Creators—those who could give birth to ideas, thoughts, dreams, etc. After all, with my small size and stature, who was going to notice?"_

"_And...did anyone notice?" _Sin Cara inquired.

"_A few wrestlers knew who I truly was, but they mostly kept mum about it. Those who weren't able to detect my Faces just assumed that I was 'possessed'," _Rey put that last word in air quotes. _"By Eddie Guerrero's spirit to put some fun in their lives. They never questioned the fact that I didn't carry the outfits of my Wrestlemania past, nor did they even consider that I hd a 'problem' on hand. The less they know, the better."_

Sin Cara kept quiet as Rey stood up, covering a face with his hand and letting out another sigh. There was so much that the luchador wanted to know—particularly about the 'war' that the strange Joker Mysterio babbled on about, and whether or not there were other people similar to Rey himself. The time to do that would have to be after their tag team match was over.

"_I don't expect you to believe this," _Rey noted. _"So I'll have to take you to Gangrel himself. I'm sure he's not happy that an Outsider had to see me absorb my Face in front of their eyes. I'll take the blame for this, you just tell him that you're innocent."_

"_You don't have to do this," _said Sin Cara.

"_But I'm going to do so anyway. Come on," _Rey opened the door. _"We have a match to win."_

**0-0-0-0-0**

The figure finally reached the mansion, panting for breath. The cat approached the figure, lightly tapping at his arm with a paw. The figure turned to the cat and gathered him into his arms, rubbing his tummy in delight.

"I wonder how long it's been since I came here," the person murmured, looking up at the mansion. It stood at least three stories tall and colored black as smoke. A multitude of chimneys rose in the air as if carved out of obsidian. The steps leading to the door were decorated with small bats that shrieked at the slightest movement, and the knocker on the door was in the shape of a gargoyle's head. To add to the eerieeness, there was an old rocking chair by the porch slowly rocking back and forth despite no one sitting on it and no wind to make it move. The figure raised their lantern, hopingi to see if there was any light behind the black curtained windows. There was none. Typical.

The cat nuzzled against the person's chin as he walked toward the door. Setting the lantern near the welcome mat, they lightly rapped the knocker on the door three times. There was some silence as the figure took a deep breath, waiting for the door to open. The cat tilted his head in curiosity as he heard footsteps. Then, the door slowly opened as the figure removed his hood.

"Gangrel," The figure began. "I received your message. What's happening?"

Gangrel smirked, revealing his sharp fangs as he stared at the cloaked person and cat.

"Come now, Christian," he stated, stepping back and bringing his arm back. "We have lots to discuss over tea and biscuits. And tell the cat to stop being on edge; it doesn't suit him."

Christian nodded his head as he entered the door, the cat glaring at Gangrel and baring his teeth at the vampire.

**0-0-0-0-0**

All throughout the entire tag team match against Cody Rhodes and the Miz, the only thoughts in Sin Cara's mind were what Rey told him in regards to the commotion back in the locker room. How could Rey Mysterio hide that type of secret for the past ten years? And what about the other people who actually learned about his secret? What type of powers did they have?

More and more questions raced through his mind even after the referee hit the three count and raised their arms into the air. Sin Cara took a glance at Rey smiling at the crowd cheering at the victory. How was this Rey so different than the one who just explained his history or the face of the laughing Joker Mysterio that slammed him to the lockers? It just didn't make any sense.

Rey beckoned Sin Cara to follow him out of the ring as the Miz and Cody Rhodes began to storm off in anger. Sin Cara tilted his head, trying to see whether or not those two would suspect anything off about Rey Mysterio, aside from being angry about their loss. He saw nothing, and Rey was still waving goodbye to the fans as they walked up the ramp. It was so unnerving...

"_Hehehe...don't you love being in the know?"_

Sin Cara's eyes widened as he turned around, seeing Joker Mysterio in the front row, waving at him. Sin Cara did a double take, noticing how the fans—particularly the little boys and girls cheering for Rey—didn't even see the dark Mysterio double grinning at him. He shook his head and forced himself to look forward, hoping that this nightmare would soon be over.

**0-0-0-0-0**

Christian sat himself down near small black round table, the cat in his lap. Sitting across from him was Gangrel, who poured hot tea into two white teacups. Christian took a glance at the unlit candles in a candlelabra and sighed. He snapped his fingers, his right pointer finger tipped with a small flame that lit the wicks and illuminated the tea room a bit more than usual. He looked around, seeing the dark green walls covered in protective charms, wreathes of herbs, and cabinets of potion ingredients. It had been a long time since he came here.

The cat perked his ears up as he heard something snap. He poked his head and saw Gangrel breaking some biscuits in half, handing one of the broken biscuits to the feline. The cat sniffed it for a bit before taking it into his mouth, jumping out of Christian's lap before scurrying down the hall. Christian sighed—the cat really _was_ on edge.

"Are the others going to make it?" asked Christian. "I mean, after all this time?"

"If not all, at least some of them will make it," Gangrel answered. "I know one of the Hardy Boys will make it out alive. The other? Not so much. I also sent Kevin Thorn and Ariel a warning regarding our reunion, and old Rey must've received news about the war coming up."

"But the gates haven't been open for 250 years; why would they open up now?"

"Gates eventually open up after a short while; it's up to others to make sure they're locked up tight." Gangrel took his cup of tea into his hands, lightly blew on it, then took a sip. "But we have something new in the mix."

"And what's that?"

"A Kiva—the first one in 300 years."

Christian nearly dropped the teacup in his hand. He looked at Gangrel as if to say, "Are you sure?" The vampire just nodded his head in reply.

"I'm always accurate about these things," Gangrel answered. "If not, I wouldn't have decided to save you or Edge's life four centuries ago. Remember?"

"Don't remind me," Christian whispered. "I never want to remember those days back in Europe—back when the plague took everything we had. I never, _ever_ want to be a part of it again."

"And you won't," Gangrel tilted his head as he saw the cat return, licking off any crumbs near his mouth. "Now stop being on edge and reveal yourself now."

The cat opened his mouth and yawned. Slowly, he began to transform. He stood up on his ind legs that mored into a pair of black boots and some jeans. The fur became a black leather coat and grey shirt, and the face became more human. The cat ears now sat above a bed of short blond hair, but the tail still remained. The person closed his mouth and stretched his arms.

"Nice of you to join us, Adam," said Gangrel, motioning to a chair inbetween him and Christian. "We've got some lovely blood nettle tea and wolfsbane biscuits for tonight."

"Yeah, yeah," Adam grumbled, sitting down. "I don't like this. This feeling's almost as bad as seeing Kane hugging old Goat Face."

"I never thought I'd live to see the Big Red Machine go soft," Christian added, taking a biscuit into hs hands. "Hope he still makes us laugh before the gates open again."

"When the gates open, the only thing we focus on is whether or not we'll survive the ordeal," Gangrel corrected. "You remembered the last war, don't you?"

"We were only little kids back then," Adam answered, muncing on the biscuit in his hand. "Do you have any sugar-plums?"

"Not this time. Besides, be lucky that you're going to be able to eat something so soon. Tonight, we are awakening the Kiva's powers, and he'll need to drink from someone."

"As long as he doesn't go near my neck, it's fine," Adam lightly rubbed his surgically repaired neck, recalling how it was the reason why he could no longer wrestle. Eight years living with that type of pain was a miracle, but it was short-lived. "I''m still sensitive around there."

"You could always let Ariel use a poultice on it," Gangrel suggested. "You'll need one for what will commence."

"The last time I asked something from her, I was stuck in bed for three days without food or water."

"You don't even _need_ food or water," Christian noted. "We only eat and drink to blend in with the Outsiders. Heck, we thrived on bread and water for the first two months after the plague hit."

"And the occasional rat, remember?" Adam finished his biscuit half and went his next biscuit. "I got a better appreciation for them when I was stuck as a cat for _fifteen years_."

Christian sighed and sipped his tea as the three waited for the other guests to arrive.

**0-0-0-0-0**

Sin Cara was nervous as he watched Rey drawing a circle on the wall with a finger. Rey dipped his finger into a jar of black powder, chanting in Spanish once again with every stroke. To calm himself, Sin Cara wore his white cape and stared at himself in the mirror, questioning about whether or not this was a good idea. He wanted to ask whether or not it was a good idea to remove his mask, but Rey stated that it would be cumbersome to not where the mask in the first place.

"_I didn't wear my mask, yet Gangrel immediately knew what I hid." _Rey explained, once they entered the locker room. _"He has an eye for that sort of thing."_

Sin Cara sighed and sat himself down at the bench just as Rey finished the portal. In the center of the circle was a black six-pointed star with a five petal flower in its center. Rey exhaled and placed his hand on the portal, watching it light up in a myriad of different colors.

"_The portal is ready," _he said, turning to Sin Cara. _"Come on. Let's get going. Gangrel doesn't like tardiness."_

"_But what if someone comes and find that we are missing?" _asked Sin Cara, looking back at the door.

"_Chris can cover for us," _Rey answered. _"I left a symbol on the door for him to recognize. He'll buy us some time."_

"_If you say so..."_

Rey nodded his head as he stepped through the portal. Sin Cara looked at the portal for a second or two before jumping through it. The effects were instantaneous—he felt like he fell into some sort of vortex spinning out of control. He landed flat on his face on the wooden floor of an old mansion covered in cobwebs. Rey was already walking off down the hallway, so Sin Cara stood up and followed his fellow luchador.

Taking glances at his surroundings, Sin Cara noticed the framed photos of strange monsters. There were vampires, werewolves, and even a being that reminded him of the famous _La Llorona_, carrying the bodies of two boys in her hands. Sin Cara noticed Rey opening a door to his left and entering it. He quickly followed, seeing three men with blond hair having cups of tea and biscuits. Rey began talking to them in English, hugging the blond man with cat ears and tail before taking some biscuits for himself. Sin Cara watched as Rey did the sign of the cross before eating one of the cookies, leaning close to see more.

"INCOMING!"

Sin Cara turned around and found himself knocked over by two red blurs. He fell to the ground and looked up, seeing two figures in white masks staring down at him, one having blond hair and the other with black hair.

"Brian," said the one with black hair. "Look what you've done! I think you gave him a concussion!"

"How can you tell, Paul?" asked Brian. "I can't even see his face due to that mask."

"Well, he's flat on his back, he's not talking, and I don't see him sitting up. So yeah, he has a concussion."

"_He can talk; he just doesn't understand you."_ said Rey, approaching Brian and Paul. _"He only speaks Spanish."_

"_Oh..." _said Paul, kneeling toward Sin Cara. _"Sorry about the colliding into you. Can you hear me now?"_

Sin Cara nodded his head and sat up. After having to deal with Joker Mysterio, the last thing he needed were more surprises. He rose to one knee, tilting his head in confusion at the newcomers. He had never seen them before when he wrestled at RAW and Smackdown, but it seemed like they knew who Rey was, seeing at how Paul began to happily chat with Rey about past times in Spanish. Brian looked at the two with curiosity before turning to Sin Cara.

"So, you're friends with Rey?" he asked. Sin Cara just nodded his head. "Um, can you understand what I'm saying? I've been trying to learn some Spanish from Paul and..."

The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the conversations to stop. Everyone turned their heads as Gangrel approached them, pouring a cup of tea in hand. He then handed it to Sin Cara who looked at the strange red liquid in curiosity...and a bit of worry.

"_Blood Nettle Tea," _Rey noted. _"The only thing that goes best with this are Wolfbane Biscuits. Correct?"_

"Right here," said Christian, handing Rey a sauce of biscuits. "We don't have sugar plums, though."

Rey nodded his head as he handed a biscuit to Sin Cara. Sin Cara took his hands and looked at it strangely. He then made a quick prayer as he raised his mask to expose his mouth. He then dipped the biscuit into the tea and took a bite. After a few more seconds of chewing, Sin Cara took a sip of the bitter tea. Gangrel began to clap.

"Bravo," he said. "I guess it's time for us to unlock the powers of this Kiva for ourselves."

"'Kiva'?" Rey repeated. "What's a Kiva?"

"A Kiva, short for a 'King Vampire', is a creature capable of summoning a legion of bats that follow his commands. This man is no exception," Gangrel smirked as he watched Sin Cara finish the last of the tea. "And we must make haste; the gates will open soon. The city of Hamunpatra will rise."


	3. Mansions of Madness

**So Mysterious**

**3rd Mystery: Mansions of Madness**

"_No exempt soul is exempt from a mixtrue of madness."_

_-Aristotle_

Sin Cara stayed quiet as he was seated at the small table. Everyone around him were talking with one another. Some were happy, exchanging hugs and greetings of hello, while others just rolled their eyes. A part of him wished to be part of these conversations, but Rey was also talking in English thus negating those chances. Instead, he took a better look at the mansion, at the walls covered with pictures of macabre figures, sconces that held black and red candles, and wreathes of strange smelling herbs. One picture caught his eye—it depicted Gangrel with a woman by his side who had a set of vein-like tattoos decorating the left side of her face. The look on the woman's face was fierce, and it looked like half of her long blond hair w as shaved off. Sin Cara took a glance back at Gangrel, who seemed to notice what the luchador had seen. For a moment, Sin Cara thought he saw a glimpse of sorrow in the elder vampire's eye.

"_Her name was Luna Vachon," _said Rey, as if translating Gangrel's thoughts. _"They got married around 2001 and stayed then divorced about six years later. Luna died by drug overdose in 2010, due to complications with bipolar disorder."_

Sin Cara was taken aback as he once again took a glance at the photograph. He sighed and bowed his head before making the sign of the cross. He then clasped his hands in prayer, whispering some words of condolence in Spanish. Rey just nodded his head before relaying a translation to Gangrel.

"Thank you," Gangrel stated. He then stood up and clapped his hands. Paul, Brian, Edge and Christian stopped their conversations and also stood up. Sin Cara lifted his head, looking back and forth at the four who held their hands in a circle and bowed their heads. He took another glance at Rey.

"_To explain, we are part of a collective group of vampires, changelings, werewolves and all sorts of supernatural creatures called the 'Mascari'," _he explained. _"All Mascari are born with different abilities, having to hide them from the public eye. For example-"_

Rey pointed to Christian and Edge. Sin Cara paid close attention to Christian's sharp fangs and pointed ears and the pair of cat ears on top of Edge's hair.

"_Those two have been alive since the 17th century," _said Rey. _"They were found by Gangrel when a plague hit their village as the only survivors. He raised them as his children, giving them the gift of eternal life."_

"_Why does Edge have the cat ears?" _Sin Cara inquired.

"_It's a long story, I'll explain later. Now..." _Rey pointed to Paul and Brian. Sin Cara saw no physical changes with the two—they seemed perfectly normal compared to Edge and Christian. _"Those two encountered a pair of vampires named Kevin Thorn and Ariel back when they were an opening act in ECW years ago. If I remember the story, Thorn and Ariel dragged them to their locker room and bit them. This unlocked their ancient bloodlines of Black Pierrots, a family of jesters known for their mischievous behavior and tendency to drag children away from their parents like a Pied Piper._

"_And back to Gangrel," _Rey narrowed his eyes._ "Gangrel is said to be an apprentice of the original Dracula himself 500 years ago. While the story is a bit murky, it is said that he also used to be a survivor of a plague and ran away from the angry villagers who somehow convinced themselves that he was the reason that the village was infected. When Dracula was eventually killed, Gangrel began to follow his teacher's advice to find other Mascari just like him. It just so happened that there were many in the WWE."_

"_But why the WWE?" _asked Sin Cara, watching Gangrel placing a hand on Paul's head, whispering something in ancient tongue (but then again, for all that Sin Cara knew, Gangrel could've been speaking English.). _"Why would he eventually find himself there?"_

"_I assume that Vince McMahon himself is connected to the Mascari," _Rey theorized. _"Gangrel once told me that the WWE seems to be like a magnet for the Mascari—they want to expose themselves to the world yet simultaneously bask in the shadows. Isn't that what we do? We all go by strange wrestling personas and gimmicks that hide our human nature. What's one Mascari added to the mix going to do to ruin that conception?"_

"Indeed, what type of mayhem and destruction could we do?"

The flames from the candles were blown out. Gangrel lifted his head, eyes scanning in the darkness for an intruder. An orb of light flew into the room, dancing across the sleeping wrestlers, trying its best to get their attention. When that failed, the orb circled around Sin Cara who pointed at it with curiosity.

"Seems like our last guest is here," Gangrel muttered under his breath. "Jeff, stop fooling around."

"Aww, but I was having fun," a voice chuckled. "All right, all right...I'll join in the 'circle of friendship'." Don't get a bee in your bonnet, 'Grel."

"And stop calling me that," Gangrel growled. "You know how I hate that name."

Jeff cackled as he emerged from the wall behind Sin Cara, covered in roots. His face was covered in black and green makeup, making him look similar to a snake. He hissed as the orb flew to his open palm, spinning around and around in circles. Rey narrowed his eyes.

"Nice for you to join the party, Anti-Christ," he said. "Are you still calling yourself by that name?"

"I could, but I can't. Not after 'that incident'," Jeff frowned. "Mattie got mad at me, but then things happened and now I have his powers now. Isn't that fun? I'm both Willow and Ignus Fatuus simultaneously! There's nothing anyone can do to stop me! MUAHAHAHAHA!"

"We're having a moment here," Edge snarled, opening an eye. "Now come on. You're ruining our concentration."

"Fine, whatever you say Cheshire Puss," Jeff sighed, taking a step. He then noticed Sin Cara. "Who's the man with no face?"

"Sin Cara," Rey answered. "He's being inducted as a Kiva."

"No way? Really? That's amazing!" Jeff paused. "What's a Kiva?"

"Think of it as a very old line of vampires," Gangrel answered. "One who used to be so feared by the ability that the Kiva could take people's faces, and thus their _memories_ , with the right words. It is said that they were driven out when the last awakening of Hamunpatra...but if our faceless man is here..."

"Ooh, then he has similar powers to mine. Here," Jeff flicked his wrist and the orb flew to Sin Cara's side. "Can you see into this soul?"

Sin Cara cupped the soul and stared at it. The soul twitched a bit, as if wanting to say something of great importance. Sin Cara kept his gaze at ths soul, and then his vision turned white...

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

_Another me is what there will never be...Another life like this you'll never see..._

Jeff Hardy chuckled as he stared at the large tree carved from obsidian in front of him. Dangling from its branches were clusters of white orbs, shining in the pale light. Jeff plucked an orb and smiled at it, his grin stretching from ear to ear. He opened his mouth and let the soul touch the tip of his tongue before swallowing. He licked his lips as he placed a hand on the tree.

"There, there, my love," he purred. "I'm sure you're loving the new plant food I gave you. It'll make you grow big and strong and bloom beautiful flowers and let me drink your sweet nectar. Isn't that right...Mattie?"

Jeff cackled as he saw the body of his brother slowly being consumed by the dark tree. Matt's arms were raised into the air and pierced by the tree's sharp branches, his blood dripping down to the strange silver dirt below. Matt slowly raised his head to stare into the dark purple and blue face of his brother, clenching a hand into a fist.

"Why are you doing this?" Matt croaked. "Jeff...what's going on with you?"

"I've bloomed, Mattie," Jeff answered. "I've become a harvester of souls, a whisper in the wind you might say. You could've joined me too, but you _changed. _You can't deny yourself, Mattie...now you have to suffer."

"I don't want to hurt anyone! Don't you know what these powers could do to you? Remember Shannon Moore and John Morrison? They're no longer the same thanks to being involved with this stupid masquerade! Don't you know that these things eat at your soul?!"

"You're so silly," Jeff teased, poking his brother's nose. "Your denial is so funny, but alas...I must cut this short. I have a tea party to attend, and I might be late for a very important date. Now time to say hello—good bye! I'll be late, late, late! So, I have to do this..."

The large roots tattoo on Jeff's right arm began to glow as Jeff plunged his hand into his older brother's chest. He smiled as he saw Matt give out one final breath before the tree swallowed him whole.

**0-0-0-0-0**

Sin Cara gasped and swatted the orb away, the orb spinning out and out of control until it hit a wall. Rey placed a hand on Sin Cara's shoulder.

"_What happened? What did you see?" _he asked. _"Save something!"_

"_Matt..." _Sin Cara answered simply. He pointed to the orb slamming against the wall, as if futilely trying to escape its prison. Jeff chuckled as he went to the soul, gathering it into his arms and cooing at it.

"That's right..." he said, placing a kiss on the soul. "Mattie was being disagreeable with me, so he needed to be taught a lesson. That's why I brought him here...so he can witness what he's been truly missing! That, and his body is being fertilizer. MUAHAHAHA!"

"You did what?!" Gangrel snarled, stomping toward to Jeff. "Do you know what you've done? His mind is going to erode into nothingness if you don't do something! A soul is the most important part of the Mascari, and damaging the soul ensures that they are good as dead!"

"Don't worry, it's not **_permanent_**," Jeff rolled his eyes. "Besides, it was time for Matt to get back to nature."

"Ugh," Gangrel pinched the bridge of his nose as he clapped his hands. "Everyone, let's prepare the summoning circle for our guest...and perhaps find a way to get Matthew out of his 'predicament' as it were."

As Paul, Brian, Christian and Edge shook their heads and began to walk off, no one saying a word. Sin Cara looked in confusion as to what was going on.

"_They were meditating," _Rey answered. _"It's sort of a way for them to tap into their inner powers right before a meeting happens."_

"_Why don't you meditate with them?" _asked Sin Cara.

"_Because when I slip into trance, I can easily let myself be taken over by one of my Masks. When I'm asleep in bed, they don't seem to bother me. It's only when I let myself meditate that they see an opening. That, and also because you needed someone to help explain a bit more about what's going to be in your future." _Rey stood up and began to follow the others out of the tea room. _"Come on, we're going to the Summoning Room."_

"_Did you have to go here to have your powers truly awakened?"_

"_Yes. All Mascari have a ritual performed to awaken their powers. After that, it's up to them to make an oath to guise their powers from mortal eyes. Failure to do so results in extraction of your very own soul and your body resorting into a husk of your former self."_

Sin Cara gulped as he followed Rey toward the darkness. He took a glimpse back at Jeff playing with the soul of his own brother before heading toward to what would be his destiny...whether he liked it or not.

**0-0-0-0-0**

"Rey?" asked Chris Jericho, knocking on the door. "Rey, are you in here?"

Chris looked at the door knob, seeing a symbol of a black cross under a pair of wings painted on there. He looked up, silently nodded to himself and began to whisper something under his breath while drawing the sign of a pentagram on the door with a finger. When he drew, a faint blue light escaped his finger. Once he finished, he blew the light off of his finger and walked off. The seal would keep intruders away from the door until Rey finished whatever he was doing, and since Rey finished his match for the night, then that means he was pretty much done for the evening. Still, it was never wrong to take precautions.

Chris began to walk off to his locker room when he notice the lights flickering out. The other wrestlers there, like Cody Rhodes and the Miz, also noticed the strange phenomenon. Chris narrowed his eyes, looking back and forth to see who—or what—was causing it. He slightly growled, his pupils shifting into cat-like slits as he smelled the air. Whoever was in the area smelled like swamp water.

"We're here."

Chris Jerico turned around, only to get a fist to his face that knocked him off of his feet. Staring down at him were the members of the Wyatt Family: Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan.

"So," said Bray, smiling at Chris. He dangled his lantern in front of Chris's face. "Wanna see something really scary?"

Chris just groaned. This was going to be a long night from the looks of it.


End file.
